Always The Truth Part 15, The End
by Cele
Summary: Finished. Finally.


WARNING! This story contains adult situations such as suicide and self-mutilation. If such things bother you, please don't read this. THIS IS FICTION, as in not true. I don't know *NSYNC or anything about them; I don't mean to imply anything about them, their lives, their families, etc. I'm not a doctor so bear with me on some of this stuff.  
  
  
Yes, here it is. The final installment. As some of you may know, ff.net is getting rid of its real people fiction, including stories such as this. I know I'm going to miss coming here… I met some very good friends and readers here. I'll be sad to see it go. Enjoy it while you can. And I know this sounds egotistical, but please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or would like copies of this or any of my other stories. I don't know if anyone really cares, but I hate it when my favorite stories/authors just drop off the face of the earth.  
  
***  
Always The Truth  
by Cele  
Part 15 – the end  
***   
  
  
"Whoo-hoo! Lookin' good, man!"  
  
  
Lance, surprisingly enough, didn't blush at the catcall. Instead he adopted a blasé demeanor. "I know," he sighed, striking a pose the best he could still lying in a hospital bed. "I just can't help me. My natural beauty just shines through."  
  
  
Chris laughed, more out of surprise than anything else, and as Joey and JC filed in the hospital room behind him, he couldn't help but feel a rush of emotion. It made him happy beyond words to see Lance improving, to see him joking around again.  
  
  
"You ready to get out of this dump?" Joey asked, taking in the bags on the floor at the end of Lance's bed.  
  
  
"Eh, it hasn't been that bad," Lance said, casting a glance around his hospital room.  
  
  
"So you'd like to stay another few days?" JC asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
  
"Hell no!" said Lance vehemently.  
  
  
JC hid a smile. "I didn't think so."  
  
  
Justin was sitting beside Lance on the bed looking pensive.  
  
  
"You okay, Just?" Chris asked.  
  
  
Justin flashed a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just eager to get out of here."  
  
  
"Amen to that," Joey muttered.  
  
  
"I'm going to go find a nurse to unhook you from all those contraptions," JC announced, gesturing at the tubes and machines attached to Lance. He left the room with a determined look on his face.  
  
  
The others were silent for a moment before Chris suddenly said, "Justin, come with me a minute. Help me make a phone call."  
  
  
Justin frowned. "What? Chris, I'm quite comfortable where I am, I don't--"  
  
  
"Just come on." Chris dragged Justin off the bed and out the door, giving Joey a significant look as he did so.  
  
  
Joey assumed that meant he was supposed to talk to Lance while Chris talked to Justin. It was a not-so-subtle attempt to divide and conquer. The only problem was that Joey had no idea what to say.  
  
  
Lance was looking at him, amused, and Joey had a feeling he knew exactly what was going through his mind.  
  
  
He walked over and sat down next to his best friend, feeling like he was looking at a total stranger. "Hey," he said awkwardly.  
  
  
"Is this where you pry my deepest, darkest secrets from me and give me sage advice?" Lance asked.   
  
  
Joey nodded solemnly. "Lance, I know you've always lusted after my hot bod. I'm not available but I bed Justin would be interested."  
  
  
Lance laughed, as Joey had expected he would, but his eyes were slightly uneasy. Joey had meant his statement to be funny but he'd also wanted to see Lance's reaction to it. He and Justin had become awfully close awfully fast.  
  
  
"Nah, he's just trying to get over his guilt," Lance dismissed Joey's claims with no small touch of sadness. Joey couldn't tell if it was because Lance was hurt Justin was spending time with him only to assuage his conscience or because Lance wanted Justin as more than a friend and he didn't think Justin thought of him like that or both.  
  
  
"You think?" Joey asked, trying to probe deeper.  
  
  
"Don't you?"  
  
  
Shit. "I don't know, man. I think he's being genuine. You know he cares about you."  
  
  
"Yeah." Lance turned his head to look out the window.  
  
  
Joey was about to try again when the door to Lance's room opened and a nurse entered with JC trailing behind her.  
  
  
"Well, I bet you're ready to get rid of these things, huh?" The nurse was very chipper and went about her job with quick efficiency. As she removed the IVs attached to Lance, JC looked as if he was regretting his decision to come back in the room.  
  
  
"I think I'm gonna be sick," JC said quietly, heading into Lance's bathroom.   
  
  
Joey sighed. He knew he'd lost his chance to talk to Lance. He and Justin would just have to work things out on their own. The sooner Chris realized that the better.  
  
  
***  
  
  
It was taking Chris longer to realize what Joey had. He was still prodding and questioning Justin.  
  
  
"Chris, what the *fuck*," Justin said in exasperation. They were standing in a deserted bathroom on Lance's floor.  
  
  
"I just want to know how much you're going to be around to help Lance when he gets home," Chris said innocently.  
  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
  
Justin was way too suspicious of his best friend, Chris decided. "I'm just wondering. Me and Joey and JC are planning to move in for a while."  
  
  
"Really? Why hadn't I heard that?"  
  
  
"Because Lance doesn't know yet and you've been attached to Lance for days," Chris said.  
  
  
Justin's mouth opened but nothing came out. He couldn't deny it because it was true.  
  
  
"I'll be right there with you guys," Justin said firmly.  
  
  
"And where will you be staying? Lance's bed?" Chris's tact had just flown out the window.  
  
  
Justin flushed an angry red. "Jesus Christ, Chris! What the fuck is your problem?"  
  
  
"I was --"  
  
  
"--just wondering, yeah, right," Justin interrupted. "Is this your roundabout way of asking if I'm going to freak out again?"  
  
  
Chris had opened his mouth, ready to say 'yes' because he thought Justin was going to say, "roundabout way of asking how I feel about Lance." He frowned when he realized Justin still hadn't figured out what he was getting at. "No! I mean…yes. Yes. No! That's not it at all!"  
  
  
Justin was totally confused and Chris totally frustrated when JC came in the bathroom seconds later.   
  
  
"We're almost ready to go, guys."  
  
  
"Good. Maybe it'll get Chris off my back," Justin said, stalking out the door.  
  
  
Chris sighed and JC shot him a sympathetic look before they followed Justin.  
  
  
***  
  
  
They stayed at a hotel in Chicago for a few days until Lance was well enough to fly. He said goodbye to Jalen and exchanged numbers to keep in touch with him. Lance knew he owed the cop more than what he'd been able to give so far. He knew the media circus had been toned down partially because of Jalen's influence.  
  
  
"Are you ready to go, man?" Justin asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway of Lance's hotel room.  
  
  
Lance wasn't surprised in the least. Justin had become his shadow and as unsure as Lance was about why he was hanging around, he was glad Justin was there. He had to admit it was nice being the center of Justin Timberlake's attention.  
  
  
He look a glance around his room. Most of his suitcases were already packed and by the door, waiting to go. He was just finished putting some of his odds and ends in his carryon backpack. "Just about. Is everyone else ready?"  
  
  
"Not quite. Chris is having trouble stuffing all his clothes in his bags. He seems to be taking home more underwear than he came with," Justin said, amused.  
  
  
Lance smirked. "Wonder how *that* happened."  
  
  
Justin laughed. "I don't know, man, but he won't say. Just keeps asking Joey to sit on the suitcases to get the clasps shut."  
  
  
Lance smiled. "Those guys need to get lives."  
  
  
Justin came in and flopped down on Lance's bed. He watched Lance pack up some of his CDs and Discman, an odd feeling of longing coming over him. Before this whole thing started he and Lance had been drifting apart as friends. They'd been close when the band had started because they were both young guys from the South but at some point they'd stopped having so much in common and gravitated to Chris and Joey. He hated it that Lance almost committing suicide had to bring them closer but he was glad that they were good friends again.  
  
  
But the past few days he'd been feeling something more than friendship for Lance. Being with him every day, hearing his deepest secrets, seeing him at his worst had inexplicably made Lance seem beautiful to Justin, inside and out. He knew this was the worst possible time to have these feelings about Lance - the last thing Lance needed was someone crushing on him when he was trying to get better - but he couldn't help it.  
  
  
Lance finished packing and looked at Justin. "Okay, I'm ready."  
  
  
Justin stood up and walked over to where Lance was standing by his luggage. He gave Lance a quick peck on the lips before bending down to pick up two of Lance's duffles. When he straightened back up Lance was looking at him in surprise.  
  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
  
Justin smiled at him. "Can't I kiss one of my best friends?"  
  
  
Lance slowly smiled back. "Sure."  
  
  
From down the hall they heard, "Come on, babies, get your asses in gear!"  
  
  
"Coming, Joey!" they called back in unison.  
  
  
Justin and Lance looked at each other for a minute before Justin held out his hand to Lance. Lance eyed it for a minute before accepting it with his own bandaged hand. Lance squeezed Justin's fingers as tightly as he could and Justin squeezed back carefully in support.  
  
  
Lance headed out of the room with Justin by his side, ready to face whatever lay ahead of him.  
  
  
"Let's hit the road."  
  
  
  
  
el fin. Thank you to everyone who has read this along the way. I appreciate it more than you know. 


End file.
